Our History

In the early 1850's it had become apparent that the burial grounds, which was located facing the bay with entrance from Church Street, of the then village of Gananoque, was completely filled up and unable to expand,....so a new one was needed. A general meeting was called for on Oct. 20, 1856 in the Grammar School with Wm Stone McDonald in the Chair, W. Brough as Sectetary and D.F. Britton as Treasurer. After lengthy discussions this meeting was adjourned to Oct. 24th where prospective lot buyers were expected to sign up. At this meeting directors were elected and Dr. Richmond was elected President, Sam McCammon as Secretary and D.F. Button as Treasurer. This executive, along with Wm Brough, S. Rogers, R. Brough and a few others were named a committee to secure a site for a new cemetery. The group found that all land to the north, east and west of Gananoque was either farmed or covered with timber. The only place that could be purchased was the land of the present site. It was well drained and sandy; well suited for cemetery use. It also was a beautiful site aesthetically, so the site was purchased. 

 At a meeting on March 18, 1857, the Directors agreed to pay John Bowie 71-17-6 Pounds Sterling for 5 and 3/4 acres of land . On April 7 they opened fencing tenders and agreed to pay Robert Wright 16.3 to feence the grounds. 

The Stock value was originally set at $800 with lot buyers subscribing at $5.00 per lot of approximately 100 square feet. At a November 1858 meeting, the subscribers chose their lots, with the largest subscribers having prioritized choice.

A plan of survey dated May 1875 was accepted by the Board of Directors in July, 1877. 

Willowbank Cemetery is located on land that was originally given by Crown Grant to Loyalist  Mary Clyne (Klein). She and her husband, Johan Gottlieb Loede moved from Kingston to become the first settlers on this land, and amongst the first to settle in the area. 

Although there are no tombstones that are apparently for them, it is understood that they were the first to be buried on the property in what is the old Lloyd (Loede) section of the cemetery. 

Their son, John G. Lloyd, who was born in Kingston in May 1784 following the marriage of his parents at Fort Haldimand on Carleton Island in 1783, was the first child born in the new Kingston. He subsequently became a Durham Boat owner/captain supplying Gananoque and Kingston up the river from Montreal. He was also one of the captives taken during the Forsythe raid on Gananoque in 1812.  

John G Lloyd and many of the Lloyd family are buried in the old Lloyd section of the cemetery which predates the more "public" portions.  The descendents of the Lloyd family are now spread across North America